


no rivers, no lakes can put (this) fire out

by indiebitch



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/F, F/M, Lord Arum Is Still Very Much A Lizard, M/M, Oops! I Accidentally Wrote Second Citadel As a Procedural, more tags I go along, the whole gang is gonna show up eventually - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-28 05:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21131300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiebitch/pseuds/indiebitch
Summary: Damien was thirteen years old when the Second Citadel declared itself to be the first city to assimilate monsters into their society.or the modern au no one really asked for





	1. Prologue: we will find you saints to be canonized

**Author's Note:**

> title from "seven devils" by florence and the machine

FIFTEEN YEARS EARLIER: 

Damien was thirteen years old when the Second Citadel declared itself to be the first city to assimilate monsters into their society. 

There were whispers about it for so long. That Mayor Stevyn was talking with Monster Leaders about merging the Monster Half of the Second Citadel with The Human Half. It was hard to believe though. The border between the two sides had been around since the First CItadel fell. It was better to keep the two sides separate. Everyone thought so.

He was sitting at the kitchen table, pouring over his studies. He remembered he was just about to quit, the words on the page starting to float off the page when his mother turned up the television volume.

“Harold, come look at this! Quick!” His mother called for his father. 

“Keira, I’m in the middle of a speech I can’t just--” His father shouted from his office.

“This is more important,” She yelled back. 

Damien remembered how panicked she sounded. 

“Keira, I swear to the Saints…”

He heard his father lumber out his office, sure he was about to start a fight with his mother. But he didn’t. His footsteps stopped in the living room.

“Did you know about this?” he heard his mother ask.

“No, they didn’t tell me anything.” His father sounded angry.

Finally, curiosity got the best of Damien and went into the living room to see what his parents were talking about.

On the TV screen, he saw Mayor Stevyn speaking to reporters. Underneath him was the headline “MAYOR STEVYN CONFIRMS MONSTER AND HUMAN MERGER IN THE SECOND CITADEL.”

He sat next to his mother on the couch. She immediately pulled him close. Her hands were shaking. He placed his hands over hers and rubbed soft circles over them just like she would do for him.

“Harold, what are we gonna do?” She pleaded with his father.

“Nothing. There’s nothing we can do,” his father had replied

“What do you mean? We need to leave.” 

“Keira, we can't just leave. How do you think it would look if a city official just upped and left right after an announcement like this? It would just cause distrust.”

“It’s not safe here anymore--”

“You’re just being paranoid Keira. The mayor is a smart man. He wouldn’t purposely put his citizens in danger. We need to stand by his decision.”

“But--”

“Besides, if monsters are now official citizens that means they have to follow our laws now. This is for the best.” His father concluded.

And with that, his father went back into his office. Damien looked at his mother. He could tell she was trying not to cry. Damien hugged her, trying his best to comfort her. His mother was like him. Their minds always jumped to the worst-case scenario. Worries always plagued them. His father didn’t understand, but Damien did. Damien knew what his mother was imagining. Monsters stalking the streets freely. Humans revolting at the integration. The world as they knew it burning around them. He knew because he was thinking the same thing. But Damien didn’t let himself cry. His mother needed him to be the strong one right now.

“It’s okay, Mom. We will be okay.” Damien reassured her.

She pulled away and put both her hands on Damien's cheeks.

“How can you be so brave right now?” his mother wondered, looking at her son fondly.

“Because you need me to be,” Damien said. “Because you’re always brave for me.”

She smiled sadly at him and kissed him on the forehead.

That night, his mother slept in his bed, not wanting to let Damien out of her sight as if a monster would break into their house and snatch him up if she turned away for even a second. His father claimed she was being silly, but Damien didn’t mind. He had hated sleeping alone, but he knew what his father would say if he tried to sleep in their bed. That he was being childish. Stupid. A coward.

When sleep couldn’t find him that night, he whispered a prayer to his namesake,

“Saint Damien give us your tranquility. The world is different now. I’m afraid it will never be tranquil again. Please protect us, Saint Damien.”

As his eyes drifted close, Damien could’ve sworn he heard a voice whisper back.

“Change is coming, my child. But there is no need to be afraid, for tranquility awaits you.”

\--

The next morning, it was hard to believe the words whispered to him in the night. On his walk to school, he saw seven businesses closed down, three fights break out, and one building catch on fire. The constant sirens of the knights’ cars were heard constantly. As soon as he got to class, he went to the bathroom and cried.

The world was ending around him.

\--  
Then five years passed and the world started up again. People got used to the monsters. The monsters got used to the people. Well, for the most part. Damien could still feel the undercurrent of chaos running through his city. There was still distrust between the people and the monsters. He especially felt in his mother who refused to leave their house unless Damien was with her. She still flinched at the sight of a monster on the street. Damien hated how scared she was, wished he could protect her from the fears that plagued her mind.

But he was afraid he only added to them.

When he was eighteen, he was accepted into the Knights’ academy.

When he told his father, he slapped him on the back and told him he was proud of his son for finally getting “some balls.”

When he told his mother, she wept. She begged him not to go into the academy, to stay at home with her where he was safe. 

“I thought you wanted to be a writer. A writer is so much safer than being a knight, Damien.” His mother begged.

“Mother, I have to be a knight. That way I can protect you and the city.” 

“I don’t need protection. I need you safe.” She sobbed.

The night before he left home, his mother slept in his bed again. Her presence soothed him, but he still couldn’t fall asleep. His mind raced with doubt and fear. Was he making the right decision? Should he just stay with his mother? What if he died on the job? What would his mother do if he died? What if--

No.

This was the right decision. For all his worries, something stronger stood within him. He didn't know why but he knew he had to be a knight. His city needed him to be.

He whispered to his Saint, careful not to wake his mother.

“Saint Damien, lend me your tranquility. I am afraid for the future. I don’t know if I am making the right choice. Saint Damien, please I beg you, give me a sign I am on the right path.”

For a while, it was silent aside from his mother’s soft breathing.

Then, in his mind, he heard the sound of the ocean. A sound he hadn’t heard since he was a child. It comforted him, the constant of the rushing water slowly lulled him to sleep. 

He dreamed of the beaches of the west that he visited as a child. He was once so afraid of the vastness of the sea, but now they brought him comfort. In his dream, he sat on the sand watching the waves crash and recede.

“Tranquility awaits you,” the waves whispered to him.

He hoped the waves were right.


	2. holy water cannot help you now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sir Caroline Comes To Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for nongraphic descriptions of a dead body, brief discussions of feeling watched, and canon typical sexism and prejudice.

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER

Sir Caroline hadn’t been in the Second Citadel for long, but she already decided she hated it.

For starters, it was always so fucking hot. She didn’t know how anyone coped with the heat. To make matters worse, she had to wear a stupid stuffy blazer to keep up appearances. Apparently, in the Second Citadel, people only respect you if you dressed a certain way. Or at least that was how it was explained to Caroline. She didn’t get it. In the Southern Frosts, you earned respect by actions, not by appearances. But that would be logical and if Caroline went by what she saw of the city so far, Second Citadel was anything but logical. And Caroline was not going to put up with any of it.

Okay fine, she wore the stupid blazer, but she complained about it the whole time.

You’re doing this for Mira, Caroline reminded herself, You owe her remember?

Caroline got a frantic phone call from her old friend just over a week before. She hadn’t heard from the Mayor in years, so Caroline was confused at why she was calling to begin with. The following conversation didn’t do much to clear that confusion.

“Mayor Mira? What in the world are you doing calling me at 2 am?” Caroline had asked.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Mira said.

“And what? You called me for a bedtime story?” Caroline teased.

“This is not a personal phone call, Sir Caroline.” Mira’s voice was uncharacteristically cold.

“All right then. If not for pleasure, why are you calling at such a late hour?” Caroline yawned.

Mira was silent for a beat before asking,

“Can I trust you, Sir Caroline?”

“Of course.”

“Then, what I am about to tell you is top secret information.”

“You have my assurance that I will not tell a soul.”

“I can’t say much over the phone. I don’t know who’s listening. How fast can you get to The Citadel?”

\--

She could’ve written off the whole incident as Mayor Mira finally snapping. Lord knows that woman never catches a break, and maybe her exhaustion finally got the better of her. However, something told Caroline that this was not the case. Of all the years she had known Mira, Caroline had never heard her sound that terrified. Even if it turned out to be nothing, it was worth it just to make sure that nothing more sinister was happening within the Second Citadel’s walls.

So that’s why she was here now, driving through the center of this godsforsaken city. She had just come back from her visit to the mayor’s office which had done very little to clear up the situation. When Caroline got there, the Mayor was out on business. One of her goons did give her a note in Mira’s handwriting. It explained that Mira had some “business” come up and that Caroline should keep a lookout for anything “suspicious.” Whatever the Hell that meant. She did attach a formal letter granting Caroline access to any and all information the Knights of The Second Citadel can provide. Caroline rolled her eyes at that. So many fucking formalities in this town.

Caroline considered just driving back to her hotel when she saw half a dozen or so Knight Cars parked in front of a bar. Mira did say she should look out for anything suspicious and that looked pretty suspicious to Caroline…. Mira probably wouldn't mind if Caroline poked her head for a bit…

\--

As soon as she walked up, a knight stopped Caroline in her tracks. The knight must’ve been high ranking as he wasn’t wearing the standard knight’s uniform. Instead, he wore a pristine white button-up under a nicely tailored navy suit. He was tan with a soft face. Dark curly hair framed his face and he had a small, regal mustache on his upper lip. Caroline might call him handsome if she was into that sort of thing. Around his neck hung the crest of the Second Citadel. The marker of a knight.

“Excuse me, Miss, but this is a crime scene. You can’t be here,” he warned.

“I’m here on behalf of the Mayor, so I can be here. And don’t call me ‘miss’” She explained.

He put his hands on his hips and examined Caroline. She hated this knight already.

“I’m the lead on this case. I would’ve been informed by my captain if someone from the mayor’s office was coming down,” He told her.

“Well then, it's a good thing I’m not from the Mayor's office.”

She pushed past him, making sure to nudge him with her shoulder and sauntered towards the center of the action.

“Excuse me! You still can’t be here unless you get an approval,” the nuisance shouted, running to catch up with her.

“Fine. You want approval?” She asked.

Caroline stopped for a moment to reach into her jacket pocket pulled the very thing this whiny bastard was asking for. Normally Caroline wouldn’t have given a shit about what this idiot needs, but the look on his face when Caroline produced Mira’s letter was worth it.

“How do I know this is real?” He shot back.

Did this man ever rest?

She snatched the letter back and returned it to her pocket.

“You’re welcome to call the Mayor and get her confirmation. I’m sure she would love the interruption to her already busy schedule just to calm down some knight who can’t handle sharing authority.” Retorted Caroline.

“I have no problem sharing authority, ma'am. I just don’t know who you are. I just can’t let strangers wander onto official crime scenes!.”

Gods, he had such a whiny voice.

She was just about to tell him that when another, unfortunately familiar, voice came from behind her.

“Sir Caroline! What in the world are you doing here?”

“Sir?” The annoyance looked at her with wide eyes.

She ignored him and addressed the new annoyance.

“Sir Andrew. It seems you haven’t changed much.” She concluded.

The large man guffawed. Damn, Caroline forgot how big the man was. She did not consider herself a short woman, yet this particular knight towered over her.

“Sir Caroline you know my name is Sir Angelo! What a wonderful jest!” Sir Angelo yelled.

The other nuisance just stood with his mouth agape, glancing between her and the other knight.

“But you’re a wom--”

“A Knight? Yes, I am.” Sir Caroline smirked.

“But how--”

“In the Southern Frosts, they don’t care about gender when it comes to picking knights. They only care about talent,” she eyed the knight up and down. “I can see that they don’t care much about that here in the North.”

“Excuse me!”

“You’re excused. Now, while I do love standing out here and arguing with you, I think you have a crime scene to show me Sir-- Sorry I don’t think I ever got your name?” Caroline inquired.

“Sir Damien.” the annoyance said through gritted teeth.

“Right. Sir Dawson, please show me the way.”

\--

The Moonlit Hermit didn’t look much different than the bars Caroline liked to frequent. The walls were brick laid with various paintings, both done by human and monster hands, hung on the walls. There were pool tables in the far left, and some seating in the center. In the very back sat the bar, stocked with human liquor and monster’s brew. If Caroline wasn’t here on business, she might’ve even stopped in for an ale or two.

Really the only thing that set this bar out was the sign out front that said “MONSTER FRIENDLY.” Bars in the South didn’t tend to have those on any of their establishments.

Oh, also the dead body near the bar. Most Southern bars didn’t have those either.

“Do we have an ID on the vic yet?” She asked as she crouched down to take a closer look at the body.

The victim was a pale man in late thirties (early forties maybe?). His clothes appeared nice at first glance, but they were wrinkly and covered in stains, suggesting he hadn’t wash them in a couple of days. The man’s face was also quite scruffy, in desperate need of a shave that will never come. It seems that whoever this man was, he didn’t have a great last couple of days. Especially since he ended up with a bullet in his head.

“David of the Northern Shores, forty-three years old. He was a local journalist at the Second Citadel Chronicles.” Sir Damien had answered.

He stood with arms crossed to show he was not happy, but still cooperated when Sir Caroline had questions. Sir Angelo stood next to him like a loyal dog waiting for his next command.

“Did anyone see who shot him?” was Caroline’s next question.

“No. There were only a couple of other patrons here including the bartender. All they said they saw was David’s body hit the ground, and then a figure ran out the backdoor.”

“They’re lying,” Caroline concluded.

“Sir Caroline I hardly think--” Sir Angelo started, while Sir Damien let out a scoff.

“You two are absolute buffoons if you think that no one in this bar saw the killer,” Caroline explained as she walked around David’s body.

That’s odd. There was something shiny on the floor close to the back door. Caroline moved closer to it. Her two annoying shadows followed close behind.

“Why would in Saint Aaron’s name would they lie?” Sir Damien challenged

Caroline quickly grabbed an evidence bag out Sir Damien back pocket, who jumped back at the action. She ignored him and leaned down to inspect the shiny spot, as she put on a pair of gloves she took from crime tech on her way in.

“There are lots of reasons. They could be doing it out of loyalty, hatred,” She smiled back at the two menacingly, “or just plain old fear.”

“But Sir Caroline why would they be afraid to tell us who they saw?” The big, naive knight asked.

She took a big scoop of the gelatinous material from the floor and put it into the bag she was holding.

“Because, Sir Antwerp, how many humans do you know produce slime?” She asked.  
“Uh….. none I don’t think,” Sir Angelo replied earnestly.

She saw Sir Damien’s face fall as he drew the same conclusion as Caroline. Probably imagining the same media circus and public outcry as she was.

“They were afraid to tell you because a monster killed David of Northern Shores.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter woohoo!! a few things
> 
> -it's techinically still tuesday where i am so im sorry there are still no kissin of lizards... i promise he is coming
> 
> -i know this probably didnt bother anyone else, but i scoured all the scripts and could not find a single instance of caroline using any exclamation (like how angelo and damien say saints!! when they are surprised) so I just didn't the cop-out fantasy thing of using gods... sorry....
> 
> -also i know most people are still going feral over the junoverse (i know i am) but i had to get this update out because if stared at this chapter any longer i think i would've combusted...
> 
> \- as always u can find me @dumbpodcastbitch on tumblr,, please come yell about tpp with me
> 
> let me know what you guys think in the comments!! i Crave Validation....
> 
> PS. let me know if u need a cw for anything,, im still new to this, but i want everyone to stay safe and sane as possible!!

**Author's Note:**

> a few things!!  
-I am really gonna try to get this finish before the sc premiere in a month!! but if I dont,,, please dont yell at me  
-I am gonna be as canon-compliant as possible, but will be taking some liberties as this is an au,, and also would be plagiarism if i didn't mix a couple of things up, so again, please dont yell at me  
-i know its lizard kissing tuesday and there r no lizards to kiss,, but I promise he IS coming  
-please come yell about tpp with me on tumblr! u can find me @dumbpodcastbitch
> 
> And As always please leave kudos and comments! I wanna know if u guys like this idea!


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